Navalny's team seeks answers over his death as mother barred from morgue

1. 'They lie and buy time' - Navalny spokeswoman

   Kira Yarmysh, Alexei Navalny's spokeswoman, says the investigative committee looking into Navalny's death told his mother and lawyers the investigation has been extended.

   "They lie, buy time for themselves and do not even hide it," she said in a post on X.

   They say that they don't know how long it will take and the cause of death remains "unknown", Yarmysh adds.

   Earlier Yarmysh posted that Navalny's mother and lawyers had again been denied entry to the morgue where they have been told his body is.

   Navalny, a staunch critic of the Kremlin, was reported dead last Friday but neither his team nor his mother have been able to see his body yet.

   Russian authorities say he fell unconscious and died after a walk at the "Polar Wolf" penal colony in the Arctic Circle.

2. A recap of the weekend: Protests, arrests and blaming Putin

   As begin our coverage, let’s give you a quick reminder of what happened over the weekend:

   • On Friday, prison officials in western Siberia said Alexei Navalny had died in jail
   • They said he felt unwell after a walk in his Arctic penal colony and almost immediately collapsed, unconscious and couldn't be resuscitated
   • Hours after the news broke, Ms Navalnaya spoke at the Security Council in Munich and blamed Russian President Putin, insisting he must be brought to justice
   • President Joe Biden and EU leaders also blamed Vladimir Putin for the death of Russia's leading opposition figure
   • But the Kremlin called the Western response "hysterical"
   • Over the weekend demonstrations and vigils took place near Russian embassies in many countries to express outrage at Navalny’s death
   • People in Moscow and other cities defied official warnings and laid floral tributes in Navalny's memory
   • An independent rights monitoring group said hundreds of people were arrested across 30 Russian cities

   

   EPACopyright: EPA

   Flowers are spread on the ground during a rally in reaction to the death of Alexei Navalny in front of the Russian embassy in BerlinImage caption: Flowers are spread on the ground during a rally in reaction to the death of Alexei Navalny in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin

3. Location of Navalny's body still not clear

   

   Andrew Humphrey

   Live reporter

   

   ReutersCopyright: Reuters

   In Moscow, people laid flowers mourning Alexei Navalny's death at the monument to victims of political repressionsImage caption: In Moscow, people laid flowers mourning Alexei Navalny's death at the monument to victims of political repressions

   Good morning and welcome to our live coverage.

   The mother of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been refused entry to a morgue where she has been told her son's body is being kept, according to Navalny's spokeswoman.

   Kira Yarmysh says, "one of the lawyers was literally pushed out" and morgue staff didn't respond when asked whether Navalny's body was there.

   Yarmysh added that Navalny's mother and lawyers have been told that the investigation into his death has been extended and the cause of death is still "unknown".

   Navalny, a staunch critic of the Kremlin, was reported dead last Friday. Since then, his mother has been refused access to his body for three consecutive days.

   This comes hours before Navalny's wife, Yulia Navalnaya, is due to speak with European foreign ministers in Brussels.

   Stay with us as we bring you the latest lines, as soon as we have it.